A Republican state representative from Cincinnati was caught in a firestorm of criticism
yesterday over revelations of a traffic stop this spring that resulted in his arrest on a
drunken-driving charge.

State Rep. Robert Mecklenborg, 59, had not shared the information with House leaders, who are
working with him on a resolution, according to a statement from House Speaker William G.
Batchelder.

According to arrest and court records, Mecklenborg was driving with a female passenger on Rt. 50
in Dearborn County, Ind., at 2:47a.m. on April 23 when he was pulled over by an Indiana state
trooper for a burned-out headlight.

Mecklenborg, who was driving a 2004 Lexus with temporary Kentucky plates, failed several
sobriety tests, and his blood-alcohol level registered at 0.097 percent, according to the
documents. In Indiana, a person is considered to be driving drunk at 0.08 percent or higher, the
same as in Ohio.

A toxicology screening picked up Viagra and another pharmaceutical drug in Mecklenborg's
system.

The third-term Republican, representing western Hamilton County since 2007, apologized via
WLWT-TV in Cincinnati yesterday. He has pleaded not guilty and has a court date set for July
26.

"Being human, I have made a mistake, and this has caused great hurt to my family, and I'm deeply
sorry for that," his statement said. "I've served tirelessly and well my constituents, and I want
to apologize to them as well. While the discovery process in this case goes on, I am entitled to
the same presumption of innocence as any other citizen."

In a statement, Batchelder, a Medina Republican, called Mecklenborg a friend and dedicated
public servant, then added that he was "shocked and disappointed."

"We are working with Representative Mecklenborg to find a solution that is in the best interests
of the representative, his family and all concerned," the statement said.

The arrest surfaced a day after Mecklenborg delivered an impassioned floor speech and cast a
vote in support of House Bill 125, the so-called "heartbeat bill" that would prohibit abortions
once a fetus' heartbeat could be detected, usually six or seven weeks into a pregnancy.

Mecklenborg said some U.S. Supreme Court justices who fashioned the landmark Roe v. Wade
decision protecting the right to abortion up to fetal viability - generally around 24 weeks - did
so because they favored population control, the stamping out of the mentally ill, or eugenics.

"Let's just remember when 50 million lives are snuffed out - plus-50 million - think of all the
artists, think of all the musicians, think of all the athletes, all the surgeons, all the science,
all of the gifted children that we have lost because of this," he said. "What do we hear now? We
hear statements such as there's not enough workers, there's not enough people working to support
our Social Security, we don't have enough people working to support our pension systems. I guess
that's what 50million people lost will do to you."

NARAL Pro-Choice Ohio director Kellie Copeland called on Mecklenborg to apologize to women for
his remarks.

"State Rep. Mecklenborg has a lot of nerve lecturing women about valuing life during a debate on
abortion in the Ohio House this week, especially given his recent arrest for illegal behavior that
endangered his life and those around him," she said in a statement.